While Iron Man 3 is currently set for a May 3, 2013 release date, that doesn’t mean that anyone knows what the film will actually be about, including director Jon Favreau. The Cowboys & Aliens director says that the plot of Iron Man 3 will be contingent upon what happens in the other Marvel films that will be released before it. Favreau had this to say about it:“In theory, ‘Iron Man 3′ is going to be a sequel or continuation of ‘Thor,’ ‘Hulk,’ ‘Captain America’ and ‘Avengers,’ This whole world… I have no idea what it is. I don’t think they do either, from conversations I’ve had with those guys.”While this isn’t exactly old news (Favreau said as much back in May, when he also stated his desire to have the Mandarin be the villain in the next Iron Man film), the director told MTV News that he wouldn’t even be able to guess what the third film in the Iron Man franchise would be about, because so little is known about the other upcoming Marvel films until they’re actually finished and released. For more from Favreau, hit the jump.The fluidity of the filmmaking over at Marvel makes knowing how a film is going to turn out before it’s finished very difficult. “The script is one thing,” Favreau said, “but when you actually see what you land on at the editing room — especially with Marvel where they film, cut, film some more and shape the film — you really learn as you go.” Favreau did have a chance to give some words of wisdom to the directors that are continuing the Marvel film universe while he’s off doing other films:“I’ve talked to ['Thor' director] Kenneth Branagh. I’ve met the cast members. I had a conversation with ['Avengers' director Joss Whedon] in passing, giving him my two cents about the film.”Although it’s assumed that all of the principle actors from the previous two Iron Man films have options to appear in subsequent flicks, it’s not known for sure if Favreau will be returning to the director’s chair. He had some not-so-private issues with Marvel over the second film, with rumors going so far as suggesting that Marvel was looking to hire a different director to helm the sequel for less money. I hope Marvel has enough respect for Favreau as a filmmaker to ensure that he continues to spearhead the Iron Man franchise. He’s basically the one who jump-started the entire Marvel movie-making machine with his phenomenal success on the first Iron Man.[Source: Collider]